This invention is part of a facility for making communication cables having numerous color coded pairs of conductors cabled together in a cabling machine. This invention is concerned with the loading of paired bobbins into compartments of a storage rack.
Bobbins of a particular color coding are stored in the same rack compartment; if there are 25 different color codes, then the rack has 25 different compartments, preferably located along the same horizontal level of the storage rack. By using a multi-layer storage rack, bobbins of the same color coding but with different size conductors can be stored one over another; then an elevator is used to receive bobbins from the particular layer which stores the color coded conductors of a particular size or gauge.
The elevator preferably extends for the full width of the storage rack so that when the elevator is located at the discharge end of the racks for a particular size of conductor, all of the bobbins called for by the cabling machine can be rolled on to the elevator at the same time.
The elevator descends to a lower level at which the elevator floor is moved into a sloping position so as to roll the bobbins, by gravity, from the elevator and on to a floor conveyor that carries the bobbins to the cabling machine.
Features of the invention relate to the control of discharge of bobbins from each compartment and to the prevention of the discharge of more bobbins than called for. Discharge chutes than span the space between the elevator and the discharge ends of the compartments are preferably used to control the number of bobbins that roll from a compartment to the elevator. Other features relate to the supply of the paired bobbins by conveyor to locations from which they are lifted by a crane to the particular storage rack compartments in accordance with the color coding of the bobbins.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the description proceeds.